Richard hawxe rogers



' R. H. ROGERS.

STRUCTURAL UNIT IN THE FORM OF BEAMS, GIBDERS, AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21. 1919-.

Patented Dec. 16,1919.

. vention,

RICHARD HAWKE ROGERS, O F LONDON, ENGLAND.

STRUCTURAL UNIT IN THE FORM OF BEAMS, G IRDERS, AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Application filed March 21, 1919. Serial No. 283,995.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD HAWKE Rooms, a subject of the King of England, residing in London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Structural Units in the Form of Beams, Girders, and the like, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to structural units in the form of metal beams, girders and the like, which may be' applied to a great variety of useful purposes, but are primarily intended as spars for aeroplane construction or even to constitute the wing itself of an aeroplane.

The object of the present invention is to provide such a structural unit, made of metal. which shall possess greater strength or rigidity or both, weight for weight, than such units have heretofore possessed.

The present invention provides a metal beam having an upper and lower metal plate each provided on the face toward its fellow with grooves or recesses (for example grooves formed by bending the metal of the plate) extending transversely to the plane of bending of the unit and separated from one another by a triangularly-corrugated metal web, the crests of whose corrugations lie in the said grooves or recesses to prevent relative creep between the plates and the Y web.

In one construction provided by this inhaving the features just above defined, tongues are formed from the metal of the flanks of the corrugations of the web and are secured to the plates to prevent the latter from being unduly separated from one another.

With either of the constructions just above defined the said recesses may be constituted by or be virtually deepened by the opposed edges of tongues made from the flanks of the corrugations of the web and brought to lie against the iimer face of a plate.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of one construction of beam embodying the present invention;

.Figs. 2, 3 and t are longitudinalsections through beams of modified construction, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating details'of one construction of the web.

The construction shown in Fig. 1 comprises an upper and lower plate or flange A and B respectively in whose'inner faces are formed transverse grooves A B which tongues C are stamped and are passed through slots in both flanges, of which those in the upper flange alone are visible at A and the tongues are then bent 'over or clenched. The tongues serve to hold the flanges from being separated from one another unduly so that the crests of the corrugations are prevented from slipping out from the grooves when the beam is subjected to a bending moment.

In the construction shown in Fig. 2 tongues C are stamped out of the flanges C of the web, in the general manner indicated in Fig. 5. The proportions of the various parts are so chosen that when these tongues are bent out to lie against the inner faces of the respective flanges as indicated in Fig. 2, the free edges of the tongues abut a ainst the next adjacent flank of the web. The edges of the tongues thus, in effect, deepen the grooves in the flanges. riveted in position as indicated at D.

The construction shown in Fig. 3 provides for a web which is not made of a single piece of metal. In this construction each single piece of the web affords three flanks onlyef the corrugation. The end of the one flank and the beginning of the first flank of the next section of the web abut against one another within one of the grooves A in the manner shown at a. Owing to the number of flanks in a single piece being uneven, points (it occur alternately in the upper flange and the lower flange of the beam. This construction enables the web to be made with greater case than where it has to be made of a single piece of metal as in the constructions of Figs. 1 and 2. Tongues C are stamped out of the blanks and riveted in position as in the construction of Fig. 2 and serve againto deepen the recesses A In the construction shown in Fig. 4:, the

flanges A B are not actually grooved but re- -cesses are virtually formed on their inner The tongues are I tions and bent up to lie along the inner faces of the flanges and secured in position by rivets D in the same manner as are the tongues C of Fig. 2. The particular arrangement of tongues C employed in Figs. 2, 3 or 4, may be varied according to requirement but one method of arranging them is indicated in Fig. 5 where the tongues are seen at C extending in line with one arr-- other from contiguous flanks of a corrugation. The tongues from the next flanks to theright and left of that illustrated, may be arranged to lie along the lower flange. Instead of arranging the tongues as shown in full lines in Fig. 5, the tongues from a single flank may be arranged to lie alternately against the upper and lower flanges; in that case a tongue, as shown at C in dotted lines, may be formed instead of the one immediately above it at C The particular arrangement of tongues employed will be determined by a consideration of the stresses to which the beam or unit is to be subjected, and, if necessary, a greater number of tongues laid against one flange than against the other.

The flanges of any of the constructions provided by this invention may conveniently be lightened byv blanking out apertures therein to remove the metal as indicated by dotted lines at A in Fig. 1.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a metal beam, the combination of an upper and a lower plate-like member, an intermediate member to constitute a web separating the said upper and lower members shaped as a continuous triangularly corruueaaeea gated strip and having the crests of its corrugations applied to the upper and lower members, and tongues formed from the flanks of the said corrugations secured. to the upper and lower members to locate the points of application of the said crests to these said members, substantially as set forth.

2. In a metal beam, the combination of an upper and a lower plate-like member, an intermediate member to constitute a web separating the said upper and lower members shaped as a continuous triangularly corrugated strip and having the crests of its corrugations applied to the upper and lower members, and tongues formed from the flanks of the said corrugations extending along the inner faces of the upper and lower members toward adjacent corrugations and secured to the upper and loWer members, substantially as described.

3. In a metal beam, the combination of an upper and a lower platelike member, an in termediate member to constitute a web separating the said upper and lower members shaped as a continuous triangularly corrugated strip and having the crests of its corrugations applied to the upper and lower members, and tongues formed from the flanks of the said corrugations extending along the inner faces of the upper and lower members to abut against the flanks of the adjacent corrugations and secured to the upper and lower members, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

RICHARD HAWKE ROGERS. 

